126-471 East meets West since Unification

37.5 points of second/third year subjects. European studies students wishing to enrol in this subject would normally have completed 37.5 points of European studies at second/third year, see Prerequisites.

This subject examines German authors' response to German unification. Who in fact is 'das Volk' that was proclaimed in the popular slogan 'Wir sind das Volk' in 1989? Does to be German mean to be West German? What has the result of unification been on East German identity and their sense of belonging to the new Germany? These questions of identity and 'imagined' community will be examined by comparing and contrasting works by East and West German writers from the decade since unification. On completion of the subject students should have acquired a detailed knowledge of a selection of representative German texts from the period 1989-1999 and an appreciation of the socio-historical context in which these texts were produced and read.